Iowa RN licensure 2026: $99 fee, 3–5 weeks
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
Iowa licensure at a glance
| Board of nursing | Iowa Board of Nursing |
| Endorsement fee | $99 |
| Processing time quoted | 3–5 weeks |
| Renewal cycle | 3 years, expiring the 15th of your birth month |
| Continuing education | 36 contact hours per 3-year renewal cycle |
| Fingerprinting | Required for licensure by endorsement (Fieldprint) |
Apply and check current fees at nursing.iowa.gov.
Iowa renewal and licensing rows checked 2026-09-26 against dial.iowa.gov (1, 2, 3).
Iowa RN license renewal: 3 years, expiring the 15th of your birth month. Continuing education for Iowa renewal: 36 contact hours per 3-year renewal cycle.
Same in all 51: licensing · renewal · discipline · international · CEUs · defence.
Iowa required CE topics, and free courses for them
Can Iowa nurses finish CE for free? Yes: every required CE topic Iowa names for RN or LPN renewal has a free course, 2 of 2.
Iowa renewal CE: 36 contact hours per 3-year renewal cycle (national certification counts as 36). Topics the Iowa board names, checked Sep 2026:
- Child abuse mandatory reporter training (nurses who care for children): 2 contact hours · every 3 years (certificate validity) · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Must be the Iowa HHS mandatory reporter course
Courses for Iowa nurses: DS 169 Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter Training (2 h, free, account needed) - Dependent adult abuse mandatory reporter training (nurses who care for dependent adults): 2 contact hours · every 3 years (certificate validity) · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Must be the Iowa HHS mandatory reporter course
Courses for Iowa nurses: DS 168 Dependent Adult Abuse Mandatory Reporter Training (2 h, free, account needed) - ARNP opioid prescribing (CDC guideline): 2 contact hours · every renewal (3-year cycle), if the ARNP prescribed opioids · APRN. Source
Must address the current CDC opioid prescribing guideline
No free course found for Iowa's version of this yet.
Every free course, with filters: free CEUs for Iowa nurses.
Compact status: Compact state
Iowa issues multistate licenses. With Iowa as your primary state of residence, one license covers every other NLC state; it follows your residence, not your job. Compact map.
Getting licensed in Iowa
Endorsing into Iowa runs through the Iowa Board of Nursing at $99, quoted at 3–5 weeks, with no second NCLEX. Because Iowa participates in the compact, a travel nurse holding a multistate license can start an assignment here without a separate application, which is why Iowa contracts often list short lead times.
Advanced practice in Iowa
Whether an NP may prescribe independently in Iowa is set by the Iowa Board of Nursing and moves by legislative session. Check it before accepting an APRN role there.
Practice environment
Staffing ratios: Iowa has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratio law. Staffing is governed by hospital policy and, where one exists, the collective bargaining agreement — so safe-staffing concerns are raised through the facility's chain of command and its staffing committee rather than through a state standard.
Among the lowest baseline RN wages despite very strong CRNA and NP markets; rural hospital pressure and full NP practice authority elevate APRN demand.
Common questions
Does Iowa accept a compact nursing license?
Yes — Iowa is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license from another compact state covers practice here with no Iowa application.
Endorsing a license into Iowa: cost and wait?
$99 to the Iowa Board of Nursing, which quotes 3–5 weeks. Nursys verifies electronically.
Who regulates Iowa nursing?
The Iowa Board of Nursing, at nursing.iowa.gov.
Licensure in states bordering Iowa
Minnesota · Wisconsin · Illinois · Missouri · Nebraska · South Dakota.
Related Iowa guides
Iowa RN salary data · travel nursing in Iowa · compact license map · national licensing guide.